Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK, Sept. 15 — Historically, Africa has faced significant challenges in achieving widespread fibre network and broadband connectivity, lagging behind many regions of the world. While countries like South Africa and Egypt have made progress in this regard, the continent as a whole has struggled to bridge the digital divide. In 2020, only 28% of the sub-Saharan African population had access to mobile internet, compared to a global average of 49%. Africa, with 18% of the world’s population, possessed a mere 1% of global data centre capacity. However, recent developments in subsea cables and data infrastructure are set to transform the African digital landscape.
A 2020 report by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) painted a promising picture, projecting a $180 billion internet economy for Africa. This figure represents one of the most significant and overlooked investment opportunities globally. Africa has experienced rapid growth in bandwidth between 2018 and 2020, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 44%. Key to this growth is several new submarine cables, including PEACE, 2Africa, IEX, and Equiano, which are set to enhance Africa’s connectivity.
Equiano, owned by Google, is a state-of-the-art submarine cable system connecting Sesimbra, Portugal, to Cape Town, South Africa. This cable boasts branching units to key African destinations such as Lagos (Nigeria), Lomé (Togo), Swakopmund (Namibia), and Rupert’s Bay (Saint Helena), among others. Equiano exemplifies the evolution of submarine cable design, with its numerous branching units providing capacity to multiple West African nations.
Furthermore, Equiano is based on space-division multiplexing (SDM) technology, a cable architecture designed to support more fibre pairs than previous iterations. Equiano features 12 fibre pairs and a design capacity of 144 Tb/s, reflecting its cutting-edge capabilities.
Namibia, which ranks 16th out of 55 countries in the Global Data e-Connectivity Index for 2021, understands the economic and social benefits of connectivity. Equiano offers the potential to deliver advanced services and greater ubiquity to Namibia. Paratus, a prominent African network operator, has partnered with Infinera to illuminate fibres and provide services through the Equiano branch, becoming the first to do so. Paratus operates across seven African countries, offering a resilient terrestrial route into South Africa known as the Trans-Kalahari Highway. This new subsea route, combined with the terrestrial infrastructure, ensures robust connectivity in the face of disruptions.
Schalk Erasmus, CEO of the Paratus Group, highlights the significance of this partnership, noting that it enables them to deliver connectivity that is 20 times faster in capacity. The collaboration with Infinera ensures a modern and flexible solution, promoting efficiency across Paratus’s operations in its seven operating countries.
Infinera’s ICE6 technology plays a pivotal role in maximizing capacity over SDM cables like Equiano. ICE6 incorporates unique features, such as long codewords in probabilistic constellation shaping modulation, which enhance tolerance to amplifier spontaneous emission noise in the submarine repeater chain. ICE6 Turbo, with its high baud rate, stands out as a fifth-generation transponder, offering flexibility to optimize spectral efficiency across the SDM fibre spectrum. These advancements result in 10-20% more capacity over a given fibre pair compared to other transponders.
Paratus, as the first to leverage the Equiano branch, gains a significant advantage in the African market. With the performance capabilities of Infinera’s ICE6 optical engine, Paratus is poised to meet the growing demand for connectivity in Africa’s rapidly expanding digital landscape.
Africa’s digital transformation is underway, and Equiano is at the forefront of this revolution, offering the promise of greater connectivity, economic growth, and improved lives for over 1.3 billion people on the continent. As Africa’s digital infrastructure continues to evolve, it holds the potential to unlock the untapped opportunities highlighted in the IFC’s projection of a $180 billion internet economy.